Breathe Into Me
by August08
Summary: Upon the two year anniversary of the Grim Reaper's death, Raph finds himself in the clutches of a mysterious entity whose only mission is to cause him pain and agony. Now, Leo must race against the clock to find his missing brother before the real Grim Reaper finally reaps a coveted mutant soul.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: This story was inspired by Breathe Into Me by Red. It takes place after Epitaph and Turtle of the Opera. For this story to make more since the Stone Cold series should be read first. Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with TMNT, but all OCs are mine.

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_Aching feet pounded against hard, uneven ground. Breaths came out in quick, deep gasps of desperation. This couldn't be happening; not again. Where were they? Where were his brothers? An empty lair, a single phone call, a note with a crudely written riddle scribbled down. This was his worst nightmare come back to life. Two years. Two years, three months, twenty-seven days...but who was counting?_

_"Leo! Donnie! Mikey!" he screamed desperately._

_Nothing but silence answered him. How could this be happening? The Grim Reaper was dead; he knew that for a fact. Raphael didn't know where he was running to, or where he even was; all he knew was that his brothers were missing and someone had them. What made it worse was that he didn't have Splinter there to help him. A month ago, Splinter had passed away suddenly. They had all gone to bed like they normally did and when they had gotten up the next morning, Splinter was nowhere to be seen. Worried that his father could be sick, Raphael had gone to check if his father was still in bed, but what he found would haunt him for the rest of his life. Splinter was still in bed, but when he had tried to shake his father awake, his body had been stiff and cold; having quietly passed away in his sleep. _

_"Donnie!" Raphael shouted, his voice echoing through the fog. "Mikey!" There was a noise behind him and he whirled around. "Leo?" Raphael asked hopefully._

_He cautiously walked through the fog, looking around for the source of the noise. He slipped out his sais and continued his search. Raphael shivered when his feet touched something cold and wet. He looked down to see fog rolling over a frozen pond. He placed his sais back in his belt and knelt down. Below the surface of the crystal clear ice he could see three glass coffins, each one holding a missing brother. Raphael was about to break the ice when a body-a human body-slowly floated face up over the coffins. Raphael instantly recognized the corpse as Derek Alfredson; aka the Grim Reaper serial killer. Raphael stared at the man's pale, lifeless face. He fell back when Alfredson's eyes suddenly snapped open and cried out as the serial killer reached through the ice to grab him. _

_"You will never escape me, Raphael," the man rasped out as his icy flesh closed around Raphael's throat._

Raphael shot up in bed with a hoarse cry. He looked around to find himself in his room. A violent shiver shot through his body and Raphael curled into a ball as he tried to get the nightmare out of his head. He had been having the same nightmare for the past few weeks. It was always the same, it never wavered.

Knowing that he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon; Raphael slowly climbed out of his hammock and made his way out of the room. He headed downstairs where Leonardo and Donatello were sitting down watching the evening news. The volume was turned down low, but as he got closer, Raphael could hear the news reporter mention the Grim Reaper killings. Raphael stiffened when they showed pictures and video of the Alfredson trial and then photos of his victims. He placed a hand against the back of his neck where the Grim Reaper's brand had been burned.

Raphael was about to walk away when a picture of two young teenaged girls appeared on the TV screen and the reporter said if anyone knew the whereabouts of the girls to call the police. They had gone missing from their homes earlier that night and were not known to run away from home. Donatello turned off the TV and sighed sadly.

"Home is supposed to be the safest place," the purple masked turtle whispered. "But not even that is safe anymore."

Raphael remained in the shadows and kept still and quiet so his brothers wouldn't know he was listening in. Leonardo rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers brushing against the raised skin of the Grim Reaper's brand. He glanced over at Splinter's bedroom door. The door hadn't been opened in a month. They had all taken Splinter's death hard, but Raphael had taken it the hardest. He lashed out at anyone who got him angry, it didn't matter who it was; his brothers or the criminals topside. To make matters worse, it was coming up on the two year anniversary of the Grim Reaper's death, and that was still a deep, festering wound that Raphael just couldn't seem to let heal. Leonardo feared that his brother's nightmares would come true and that Raphael would end up spilling blood again.

They fought a lot more than they had when Splinter was alive. Donatello and Michelangelo could only sit back and watch; fearful of getting caught between the two older siblings. The fights had become more and more violent as well. It wasn't unusual now for Raphael to take a swing at Leonardo with his sais. The blue masked leader didn't know what had gotten under Raphael's shell to make him go so far downhill. They were all suffering a loss, so why was Raphael acting like he was the only one suffering?

Donatello yawned and stretched as he got up from the couch. "Well, I'm going to bed," he said. "Don't stay up too late."

Leonardo smiled. "Funny. I used to say that to you."

Donatello sighed. "Leo, you know if you don't get some sleep soon I'm going to have to force you to sleep."

Leonardo waved a hand dismissively. "I'll be fine, Donnie," he said, his voice serious.

"No, Leo, you won't be," Donatello argued. "Don't think I don't know what's going on. I can hear you at night, calling out for Master Splinter. I hear the sobs, and the cries that you try to muffle."

Leonardo looked away in embarrassment, saying nothing. Donatello sat back down on the couch and leaned his elbows on his knees, his eyes fixed on the floor. Raphael remained as still and silent as a statue from his place under the stairs.

"Did you know Raph's been having those nightmares again?" Donatello asked.

Leonardo looked up at his brother in surprise. "When did they start up?" he wanted to know.

"A couple of weeks ago," Donatello answered. "I think he's having them again because of the anniversary."

"Hard to believe it's been two years," Leonardo mused.

"Almost four since we became the favourite target of a psychotic serial killer," Donatello added.

Leonardo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Don't remind me," he said. "Mikey still has nightmares about finding you and Raph in that coffin and thinking you two were dead. _I_ thought you two were dead."

"Sorry," Donatello apologized. "But we had to do something to save air."

"I know," Leonardo amended. "But you gave us one heck of a scare."

His eyes drifted over to the stairs when he thought he saw something move within the dark shadows. Donatello pushed himself to his feet again and headed for the stairs. Leonardo also got to his feet and followed his brother up the stairs. They parted ways at the top, going to their separate rooms. On his way to his room, Leonardo peeked into Raphael's room and found it to be empty. He sighed and hoped that Raphael would come back in one piece soon. He had to bury a father; he didn't want to have to bury a brother as well.

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. You guys are awesome!

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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Raphael ran across the rooftops, not knowing where he was going or even caring, for that matter. Maybe if he ran far enough he would leave the nightmares and memories behind him. He just wanted it all to stop; the nightmares, the memories, everything. Just when he thought he had buried that hell, the world went and dug it back up again by reminding society that the investigation into the Grim Reaper's murder was still on-going. As if they would ever find the killer. He was safely hidden away in the bowels of the city where no one in their right mind would dare venture. Alligators in the sewer was still a big myth and most people took it to heart; which was ironic because there actually was an alligator and a crocodile living in the sewers.

Raphael slowed to a walk and panted for breath. The chilly winter air stung his lungs, but it also helped in waking him up. Raphael ran a hand over his face and sighed. When was life going to let him move on? Or was he forever cursed to bear the burden of guilt for the rest of his life? Was this how people who were sentenced to life in prison for murder felt? Or did they even care? Raphael had seen enough trials on TV to know that some people who were convicted of murder were still arrogant enough to maintain their innocence even when the evidence clearly stated that they were guilty of the horrendous act. And then there were others who were clearly guilty and were released anyway. Those were the ones that made Raphael's blood boil. Too bad life wasn't like those crime shows Donatello liked so much where they always got the killer and got a conviction in the end.

Raphael hung his head and sighed again. What would be his fate if he had been human? He certainly wouldn't have gotten away with murder. Would he and his brothers still have been a target for the Grim Reaper? Or would they have been able to live a normal life? Alas, fate was a cruel mistress and as such, that hand had never been dealt.

Raphael walked to the edge of the roof and leaned against the edge, propping his arms on the concrete wall. His eyes roamed over the street below. They passed over an electronics store window. He did a double take on the TVs in the store window and snapped to attention when he saw a clip of the two missing girls trying frantically to get out of a wooden box. Raphael's heart sank into the pit of his stomach. He dashed to the fire escape and made his way down to street level. Thankfully there wasn't much traffic around at this time of night.

The red masked turtle walked up to the store window and watched the clip in horror. He flinched when the clip stopped and a hooded figure suddenly appeared on the screen. Raphael frowned slightly in confusion when the figure said and did nothing. The hood was too large and deep, covering the figure's entire face in shadow. It looked like a grim reaper costume that kids wore on Halloween. He didn't know why, but something about the figure made Raphael want to hide inside his shell and never come out again.

"Hello, Raphael," the figure suddenly said.

Raphael froze, his blood running like ice through his veins. Was he hearing this right? Did that masked creep just say his name?

"Yes, I know who you are," the figure continued. "I have been tracking you for quite some time, now. I must say, you're a hard turtle to find."

"Not hard enough, apparently," Raphael muttered under his breath as he backed away from the store window.

"You weren't planning on leaving so soon, were you?" the figure asked disappointedly. "We haven't discussed business, yet."

Raphael looked around the street to see if there were any surveillance vans or cameras around, but he couldn't find any. At least...not outside. Raphael located a couple of security cameras inside the store, and both were aimed directly at the store front window.

"I have eyes and ears all over this city, Red," the figure said smugly. "There's nowhere you can hide. Not anymore."

Raphael swallowed hard. "Okay, I'll bite. What is this business that you wanted to discuss?" he asked.

"So kind of you to ask," the figure replied, confirming Raphael's suspicions that whoever this guy was, he could see him through the security cameras and somehow was able to hear him as well. "As you know by now, two girls have gone missing from their homes. An hour ago I buried them somewhere in New York; it's your job to find them before they suffocate."

"Why me?" Raphael wanted to know.

The figure shrugged casually. "Why not you?" he asked back. "You did such a great job beating me last time; surely you can do it again."

Raphael began shaking his head. "No way, there is no way in heaven or hell that you are Alfredson."

"Didn't say I was," the figure replied. "However, I take many forms. Alfredson was just one of them."

"Who are you, then?" Raphael demanded angrily.

He half expected to see two red glowing eyes appear in the shadow of the hood, but none appeared.

"I'm the Grim Reaper," the figure answered coldly. "And you have eight hours to find those girls before they run out of air."

With that, the screen went black. Raphael stared at the blank TV screen as his heart hammered painfully against his ribs. He couldn't remember how to breathe; his heart had frozen in his chest.

"Where do I even start looking?" Raphael asked the silent street. "Central Park? Liberty Island? At least Alfredson had the decency to give me a hint!" he roared in the night sky.

Growling, he turned to storm away from the store when the chilling voice came back, stopping him in his tracks.

"I forgot to mention," the figure said. "Any help from your brothers or friends will result in the instant death of the girls'."

The ice returned to Raphael's veins. He swallowed hard and took a shaky breath. Before anyone saw him, Raphael ran for the nearest alley and scrambled up the fire escape as he headed for the roof tops. He took off towards Central Park since he was closest to there. He just hoped Leonardo wasn't expecting him home any time soon.

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. Oh, and, Happy Halloween, y'all!

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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Leonardo lay wide awake in bed, his eyes staring up at the dark ceiling. The worry of Raphael's wellbeing plagued him. How was his brother faring? Leonardo looked over at the clock on his bedside table. It had been three hours since Raphael had slipped out. It wasn't unusual for the red masked turtle to stay out this late, but something in the pit of Leonardo's stomach told him that this night was anything but usual.

Leonardo pushed back the blankets and climbed out of bed. He made his way out of his room and headed downstairs where he was met by an unusual sight. Both Donatello and Michelangelo were waiting by the elevator looking undecided on what to do. Leonardo walked over to his brothers, frowning slightly. Upon hearing the light footsteps of their oldest brother, both younger brothers looked up to see Leonardo coming towards them.

"Don't tell me we all have the same uneasy feeling that Raph's in trouble?" Donatello asked quietly.

"Apparently we do," Leonardo told him.

"Can we go?" Michelangelo asked anxiously. "The bad feeling is getting worse with each passing second."

Donatello opened the elevator doors and the three brothers made their way inside. When the doors opened again, the brothers headed over to the Battle Shell and climbed into the waiting van. Leonardo took the wheel with Michelangelo in the passenger's seat and Donatello handling the navigation system. He tapped into the tracking chip that was installed in Raphael's shell cell and Leonardo drove out of the warehouse and headed in the direction Donatello told him to go. Leonardo was confused when Donatello told him to head for Battery Park; however he didn't voice his confusion and drove off in the direction of Battery Park.

It took another hour to get to the park. By that time Leonardo thought he was going to be sick with worry. He didn't know why he was so apprehensive, but something told him his brother was in deep trouble. With Donatello's guidance, Leonardo pulled up to where the signal from Raphael's shell cell was coming from. Michelangelo looked out the window and frowned in confusion.

"Are they doing construction work here?" the youngest asked.

"No, why?" Donatello asked baffled by the question.

Michelangelo unbuckled his seat belt. "Then why is there a giant hole over there?" he asked, pointing in the direction of a large hole in the ground.

The brothers climbed out of the van and headed over to the hole. Raphael was just climbing out of the hole when they walked up.

"Raph!" Michelangelo called excitedly, happy to see that his brother was okay.

Raphael swung around and his eyes grew wide when he saw his brothers. Before they got too close, he took off without a word. Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo looked at each other in confusion at their brother's strange behaviour. Without wasting another second, they headed back to the Battle Shell and followed Raphael's signal.

From his place on the rooftops, Raphael growled when he couldn't shake the Battle Shell. He took out his shell cell and checked the time. He only had three hours left to find those girls and his brothers tagging along wasn't helping him.

Why were they even following him in the first place? Just then, his shell cell rang. Growling again, Raphael opened it up and placed it to his ear.

"What?" he barked sharply.

"We need to talk," Leonardo said firmly.

"Not likely," Raphael hissed back.

There was muffled noise on the other end and then Michelangelo's voice sounded.

"Raphie, please? We're worried about you. We just want to make sure you're okay," the youngest pleaded with his older brother.

Raphael slowed to a stop and sighed. Why did he have to have a soft spot for the prankster? "Fine," Raphael grounded out between clenched teeth. "But make it quick."

He hung up and waited in a nearby alley. A couple of minutes later his brothers drove up and got out. Raphael turned to look at them.

"What was so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone?" Raphael asked impatiently.

Michelangelo hurried over to his brother and threw his arms around the hot-head's neck. Raphael tensed against the sudden embrace. Michelangelo pulled away and Raphael was surprised to see tears well up in the youngest turtle's eyes.

"Where have you been?" Michelangelo asked tearfully.

"Blowing off steam," Raphael replied briskly.

"And digging holes in the park? What's that for?" Donatello wanted to know.

Raphael shifted on his feet. He was getting nervous. If the Grim Reaper found out his brothers were here, those girls were as good as dead. Raphael pushed Michelangelo away and headed for the nearby fire escape.

"We're not finished, Raph," Leonardo barked.

"Yes, we are," Raphael told him. "Look at me, I'm fine. Now, go away."

He started off but was stopped when someone grabbed his arm. Raphael turned to see Leonardo holding his arm in an iron-like grip.

"We're not done until I say we're done," the eldest said sharply.

Raphael grabbed Leonardo's wrist and slammed his brother to the ground. Michelangelo and Donatello jumped back in surprise. Raphael yanked his arm out of Leonardo's grip and bolted for the fire escape. Leonardo scrambled to his feet and ran after Raphael, jumping and tackling him to the ground.

"What is so important that you have to make a simple conversation a heated argument?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael mule kicked Leonardo in the stomach, effectively sending his brother stumbling back. The red masked turtle got to his feet. He couldn't tell them what he was doing. He couldn't drag them into this mess. If they helped in any way of finding those girls, two families were going to receive horrible news about their murdered daughters.

Raphael ran for the fire escape again but something grabbed him. Memories of Inwood Hill Park flashed through his mind. All he thought was that Alfredson had him. Instinctively, he whipped out one of his sais and swung around in a blinding move. The sudden cry of pain was what brought him back to reality. Raphael blinked and blue and green appeared in his vision. But it wasn't just blue and green he saw, it was also red…a lot of red. Leonardo had a tight grip on Raphael's wrist, preventing Raphael's hand- which was still clenched around a sai that was embedded in his shoulder- from further pushing the weapon any deeper into his flesh.

"Raph! What are you doing?!" Donatello cried in horror.

_"You're a natural born killer, Raphael,"_ Alfredson's ghostly voice echoed in Raphael's mind.

Something tentatively touched his shoulder and Raphael swung his other sai around without thought. Someone made a strange choking sound and there was a heavy thud as a body hit the ground.

"Mikey!" Donatello screamed in terror.

"Huh? Wha?" Raphael stammered, confused.

He looked down to see his baby brother on the ground, his hands weakly clenched around his throat as crimson blood oozed between his fingers. Raphael turned shocked filled eyes from Michelangelo to Leonardo who had managed to pull the sai out of his shoulder and weakly crawled to Michelangelo's side, placing his own blood stained hands over his youngest brothers hands. The red masked turtle backed away from his brothers in horror and revulsion. What had he done?

"Raph," Leonardo whispered looking up into his terrified sibling's eyes.

Raphael bolted for the next rooftop without saying a word to any of his brothers. He didn't even turn around to see if Donatello was tending to Leonardo's and Michelangelo's grievous wounds. What had he done? He had almost killed his brothers…Hell for all he knew he did kill them. Raphael squeezed his eyes tight at the dreadful thought. Alfredson was right; he was a blood thirsty killer. He spilled his brothers' blood for no reason. The ringing of his shell cell brought Raphael out of his shocked state of mind. He pulled out his phone and opened it, placing it to his ear.

"What did I say about your brothers?" the chilling voice of the new Grim Reaper asked before Raphael could utter a word.

"They weren't helpin', I swear," Raphael defended himself. "They were worried about me, that's all."

"I told you if they got involved..." the Grim Reaper began.

"They're not involved," Raphael cut in sharply. "I...I..." He looked down at his sticky, blood coated sais. "I sent them away. They won't bother with me anymore."

There was silence on the other end before the voice spoke. "Alright, I'll give you one more chance. But, that's it. If your brothers show up again for any reason, you'll have those girl's deaths on your hands."

With that, the line went dead. Letting out a shaky breath, Raphael closed the shell cell with a snap. To make sure his brothers couldn't find him again, he opened up the back and took out the tracking chip and crushed it before replacing the back of the phone. He dropped the remnants of the tracking chip and watched the tiny fragments fall from his hand. An idea suddenly came to him. He didn't know if it was the right idea or not, but he had to try it. Raphael put the phone back in his belt and ran off in the direction of Inwood Hill Park.

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When Raphael arrived at Inwood Hill Park there was only one hour remaining. He ran for the pond and sure enough there was a large mound of freshly churned earth. Not wasting any time, Raphael ran for the mound and began to dig. He never stopped until he could make out the top of a wooden box. Raphael's digging became more frantic when he heard faint pounding coming from the other side.

"Someone, help us!" one girl cried weakly.

Finally, the box was uncovered enough so that Raphael could pry open the lid. The two missing girls lay inside, almost unconscious. Raphael picked one girl up and climbed out of the hole and laid her down on the ground before going back for the other girl. Raphael took out his shell cell and was about to call for an ambulance when one of the girls began to come around. He knelt down and helped her sit up. She still had her eyes closed. The girl put a hand over her face and groaned.

"You okay?" Raphael asked worriedly.

"I think so," the girl answered slowly. "Thank you, for saving us."

"No..." Raphael started to say before he noticed something on the back of the girl's neck. "Problem." He finished quietly as his eyes widened when he recognized it as a Purple Dragons tattoo. "You're a Purple Dragon?" Raphael hissed in surprise.

The girl looked up and grinned darkly. "Yeah," she replied sinisterly. "And you fell right into our trap, freak."

Raphael grunted and tensed when a needle was stabbed into the side of his neck. He fell to the ground in a heap as he felt the effects of a fast acting sedative taking hold of him. The last thing Raphael saw were the two girls grinning down at him before his world went dark.

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're all enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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The first thing that passed through Raphael's fuzzy mind when he started to wake up was that there was a horrible buzzing noise inside of his head. He groaned and tried to pry open his eyes, but his eyelids were still too heavy from the sedative to respond. Sounds melded together to make a nerve grating noise that started to drive him mad. Raphael winced as he moved his head and the stiff muscles in his neck pulled in protest. Finally, he managed to get his eyes open and found himself strapped to a lab examination table. Raphael groaned again and looked around the dark room. The room was empty save for the table he was strapped to. There were no windows and only one door that was at the far end of the room. The room looked to be made out of concrete, making it a little bit on the cold side.

"Ah! So good to see you're finally awake," came the chillingly familiar voice of the newest Grim Reaper.

Raphael looked around the room for the source of the voice. "Too chicken to come out and face me yourself, huh?" he called angrily. "Had to get a couple of girls to do your dirty work for ya."

"That was Alfredson's problem," the voice said calmly. "He became too attached. Attaching yourself to the victims makes you sloppy, as Alfredson has so successfully proven."

Raphael fought against the straps that bound his wrists and ankles. The voice laughed mockingly.

"You won't be able to break those straps, Raphael," the Reaper stated.

"So you can see me," Raphael muttered under his breath, looking around the room again.

He looked up at the ceiling and saw several cameras positioned in different locations, no doubt giving whoever was watching him a full view of what was happening. Sick creep probably wanted a three hundred and sixty degree view of what was about to happen. Raphael laid his head back against the table and sighed in resignation.

"So, what's your game, anyway?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" the voice asked back.

Raphael tugged at the straps around his wrists again. "With Alfredson it was to see how many lives he could mess up and destroy. What's it with you?"

"And here I thought Donatello was the curious one," the voice said surprise.

Raphael growled slightly when his brother's name was mentioned. How did this guy know about him and his brothers, anyway? He remembered the girls and figured out that the Purple Dragons must have had something to do with it; probably looking for a little payback.

"I'm the Grim Reaper, Raphael," the voice finally answered. "No one cheats death, not even a mutated turtle."

"Get over yourself," Raphael snarled. "You're not the real Grim Reaper. I've met the Grim Reaper on more than one occasion, and he's not some clown in a Halloween costume."

No, the Grim Reaper was a shadow; a life draining shadow. Raphael remembered the chamber he had been in on the cusp of death when he had tried to commit suicide from the grief and guilt he felt for taking a life. There had been a dark presence in that chamber, a presence hovering just on the edge of his vision. It had sent Leonardo back to the world of the living knowing that it wasn't his time to die yet. Any whose time had not yet come were not allowed within that chamber and the presence sent them back to whence they came. It talked a persuading deal. Raphael had, had his hand on the door to eternity by the time the shadow was finished with its spiel on how much easier his existence would be once he crossed over to the other side. However, something stopped him from opening the door and he demanded the shadow to send him back instead, and it had; if not a bit reluctantly, but not without first telling Raphael that the next time they met, he would open the door. Raphael just hoped this wasn't that time.

"As I said before, I take many forms," the voice said patiently.

_Conceited creep,_ Raphael thought angrily.

The door at the far end of the room creaked opened and someone walked in. Raphael looked up to see who it was, but it was obviously someone he didn't know. The man wore surgeon scrubs with a heavy, white plastic apron over them. He carried a tray of silver surgical instruments and gloves which made Raphael's heart pound painfully against his ribs. He swallowed hard and tried not to let his fear show on his face.

"Doctor Aaron Travis is an expert in his field," the voice explained as the man set up his equipment on a small table that extended from the table Raphael was lying upon.

"And what field might that be?" Raphael asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Travis turned to look at him, a strange, dark glint in his eyes. "Torture techniques," he replied simply, as if he was talking about the weather.

Horror destroyed the neutral mask that Raphael had built up and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"I'm here to see how long it takes to make you scream," Travis said excitedly.

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Donatello breathed a tired sigh of relief when he finally finished stitching up Michelangelo's wound. The gash had been deep and came close to severing several major arteries, not to mention his windpipe. Donatello looked up when he heard faint footsteps pad into the infirmary. Leonardo walked in, his left shoulder heavily covered in clean white bandages.

"How's Mikey?" Leonardo whispered worriedly, looking at his motionless baby brother on the operating table.

Donatello looked down at his unconscious baby brother. "When he's more stable I'll move him to a cot," he whispered back, evading the question. He glanced over at his eldest brother. "How are you doing?," Donatello said.

Leonardo put a hand over his shoulder and sighed. "I don't know what Raph was thinking. The look on his face told me that he was seeing someone different...someone from his nightmare."

"Alfredson, maybe?" Donatello guessed.

Leonardo shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed.

He turned to leave when Donatello's voice stopped him.

"And where do you think you're going?" the purple masked turtle asked firmly.

Leonardo half turned around again. "To go find Raph," he answered.

Donatello shook his head. "You're not going anywhere, Mister. Not with that shoulder and the amount of blood you lost. Raph will be just fine. He just has some issues to work out. He needs some time to himself."

* * *

Raphael clamped down on his tongue to keep from screaming in pain as Travis tore a scalpel down his upper right arm. He wouldn't scream; he wouldn't give these clowns the satisfaction to know that he was in pain.

"No? Nothing?" Travis asked rhetorically. "Of course, you're used to getting cut and beat up all the time, so this must be nothing to you."

Raphael clenched his hands into a fist. He wouldn't scream or cry out no matter what they did to him. The turtle tensed as the scalpel was sliced through the soft tissue of his side just under the edge of his plastron.

_Don't scream. Don't scream,_ Raphael kept repeating to himself.

"You're tougher than I thought," Travis commented. "But no matter; I have all night, and all the time in the world. However, I can't promise that you'll survive."

"He had better survive, Travis," the Grim Reaper threatened. "I still have plans for him."

"That's comforting," Raphael muttered under his breath.

Travis grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Holding back is never fun." Raphael glanced over to see the so-called doctor pick up a hand saw and his heart began to hammer painfully against his ribs. He tried to squash down the fear that was quickly taking over, but so many possibilities as to how Travis was going to use the saw ran through his mind that Raphael thought he was going to be sick. To his relief, Travis laid the saw back down on the tray, however he picked up a cork-screw shaped scalpel. Travis tested the sharpness of the small cutting instrument with his thumb.

"You know, before getting into the art of torture, I was a bit of an artist," the human explained as he walked over to the table Raphael was strapped to. "I did sketches, mostly. And I loved sketching symbols, it didn't matter what kind of symbol it was."

"Knowing you they were probably sadistic," Raphael growled.

Travis chuckled. "No, they weren't, surprisingly. I liked coming up with my own symbols, as well. I came up with one for my first initial, and I'm quite fond of it."

Raphael swallowed hard as Travis came to stand over him. The man ran his hand over the skin of Raphael's shoulder.

"For a reptile you have extraordinary skin," Travis commented. "It would make an excellent canvas for a tattoo or brand."

Raphael tried to calm his breathing down. "Haven't been one for ink," he replied.

"That's okay. I'll give you one free of charge," Travis said smiling sinisterly.

Raphael's body seized up when the scalpel was plunged into the soft tissue of his upper right shoulder. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed and bit his tongue to keep from making any kind of sound as the scalpel tore through his flesh.

"You have to do it just right so that the skin scars correctly," Travis explained. He smiled. "And this is going to be a beauty."

"You're a sick and twisted sociopath," Raphael ground out through clenched teeth.

Travis looked at him and smiled. "Trust me, we're just getting started."

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. You guys are amazing. And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Raphael groaned as he began to wake up. The first thing he noticed when he woke up was that he was in an incredible amount of pain. His eyes flickered open and his vision began to refocus. Raphael moaned again as he moved his head. He squeezed his eyes tightly against the nauseated feeling in his stomach. He opened his eyes slowly again and looked around. Travis was nowhere to be seen, for which Raphael was grateful. However, in Travis' absence, Raphael felt wet and sticky. He forced his head up off the table and winced when he saw the oozing lacerations that were peppered across his body. Raphael turned his head to look at his right shoulder. Through the blood, he could make out the lines of a symbol; but it was unlike any symbol he had seen before. It was a capitalized "A" in a circle with the points of the "A" curved like a shuriken that were attached to the circle.

Raphael grunted as he laid his head back against the table. He focused on his breathing. In, out. In, out. It unnerved him that his breathing came out in quick, deep gasps. He swallowed thickly and figured that he must have passed out from the pain at some point. How long had he been locked up in this room? It couldn't have been more than a day. Were his brothers looking for him? He wouldn't be surprised if they weren't; not after what he had done. Raphael closed his eyes at the memory of stabbing Leonardo and then slashing Michelangelo's throat. Disownment would be the least he deserved for what he did. Hot tears began to burn Raphael's eyes and he fought back a sob.

"Please forgive me," he whispered miserably.

His breath hitched when he heard the door open. Raphael looked up to see Travis walking into the room. The man never said a word as he walked over to the table and untied Raphael's right wrist. The turtle was in too much pain to fight back and could only just barely resist as Travis lifted up his arm and strapped his wrist to the table above his head. Travis walked around to the other side of the table and did the same to Raphael's other wrist. He then took a knife and cut away Raphael's elbow and knee pads, tossing them onto the floor. Travis went around to the back of the table and pressed something, tilting the table up straight before locking it in place again.

"What's goin' on?" Raphael asked weakly as Travis headed back to the door. "I'm talkin' to you! Hey!"

Travis never turned around or offered an explanation. Raphael growled in frustration and tugged against the clasps, wincing as the metal sliced into his wrists. Even though he could never face his brothers, he still wanted to go home. Raphael hung his head and closed his eyes. The anticipation of what awaited him began to make him sick with fear. What other torture methods was Travis going to use on him?

Before ideas could start playing through his mind, Raphael's attention was brought to the door when he heard it open again. He looked up and immediately wished he hadn't. Raphael's eyes widened in horror when he saw the mammoth of human flesh that was Hun looming over him. Hun grinned down at the turtle with a dark, twisted, menacing smirk. Raphael's gaze fell to the man's huge fists when he saw something glint off of them. Terror wrapped around his heart and squeezed tightly when he recognized the massive brass knuckles looped around Hun's fingers.

"Hello, freak," Hun greeted coldly. "Long time no see."

Raphael swallowed thickly. "Not long enough," he replied, his voice trembling slightly.

Raphael grunted when Hun slammed a fist into his jaw. His head snapped to the side from the force. Pain shot through his jaw, making Raphael gasp slightly. Hun cracked his knuckles and chuckled darkly.

"I was all too happy to lend a hand in this game," Shredder's lackey said smugly. "I was sad to see you walk away from getting hit by that car."

"Sorry to disappoint," Raphael ground out, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Hun slammed the brass knuckles into the turtle's jaw again. Raphael growled, but it wasn't in anger; it was out of pain. So, this was Travis' new torture technique; a sound beating. Hun brought the brass knuckles up into his abdomen. Before Raphael could recover, Hun repeated the process several more times. After a minute that seemed like an eternity, Hun finally backed off to take a short break. Raphael coughed and gasped for breath. If it wasn't for the straps keeping him upright, Raphael would have collapsed.

"So, what do you get out of this?" Raphael asked, his voice strained and hoarse.

"I get this," Hun replied, swinging his fist with as much force and power as he could muster and brought the brass knuckles down on Raphael's exposed knee.

There was a sickening crunch and Raphael's eyes widened as a scream of pain tore from his throat. The turtle fell back against the table, squeezing his eyes tight against the unbridled pain that pounded through his leg.

"That didn't sound good," Hun taunted mockingly.

Raphael gasped for breath as he tried to push back the wave of pain that threaten to drown him. This was it; he was going to get beaten to death by a wannabe worst enemy and probably buried in an unmarked grave if he was lucky. Would his brothers ever find his body? Would they even care that he had gone missing…that he was dead? Raphael blinked slowly and looked up to see Hun raise the brass knuckles again. It didn't matter what happened to him, as long as his brothers were safe; that's all that mattered.

* * *

Donatello glanced at the clock on his computer and hummed deep in thought. It was almost dawn and Raphael still hadn't returned. He was probably hanging out at Casey's trying to avoid coming home and facing what he did. Donatello's attention was brought to the cot behind him when he heard Michelangelo moan quietly. He went over to the cot to see if his brother needed anything.

"How are you feeling?" Donatello asked softly.

Michelangelo groaned again before looking up at his brother, giving Donatello his answer. He put a hand to his throat and felt the bandages.

"It's best if you don't try to talk for a couple of days," Donatello instructed gently.

Michelangelo gave his brother the thumbs up, indicating that he understood. Donatello patted his brother on the shoulder and made his way out of the infirmary to let Michelangelo get some rest. Walking out of the infirmary, Donatello noticed Leonardo sitting on the couch, staring at the tracker in his hand. Frowning, the purple masked turtle walked over to the leader and looked down at the tracker. A small dot flashed every couple of seconds on the screen.

"Something wrong?" Donatello asked.

"I've got a bad feeling," Leonardo said quietly.

"About what? Raph's at Casey's," Donatello told him.

Leonardo looked up at him. "How do you know that?" he asked.

Donatello pointed to the tracker. "Because the tracker says so; besides putting a chip inside his phone, I also put a chip on the inside of Raph's shell when he was sleeping, knowing that you'd want to know what he was up to whenever he snuck out of the lair," he explained.

"Why hasn't he called then?" Leonardo asked.

Donatello sighed tiredly. "Raph needs to sort some stuff out. After all, he did stab you and cut Mikey's throat," he pointed out. "Give him some time; he'll come around."

Leonardo watched his brother walk away and sighed as he turned to look at the tracker again. He knew Donatello was right. Raphael needed some time to himself to clear his mind. Leonardo turned off the tracker and closed it, placing it on the coffee table. He leaned back against the couch and sighed again. He hoped Raphael wasn't going to be too much longer.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Two hours earlier...

Travis looked down at the shell fragment in his hands. While performing his tasks, he had come across the tracking chip on the inside of the turtle's shell. Knowing that it would pose a problem, he had sawed off the piece of shell it was attached to, causing the turtle to pass out from the pain, and had hurriedly gotten it as far away from the torture chamber as he could get it. Travis had found one of the humans Hun had told him about, Casey Jones. Apparently, the turtle and Jones were good friends.

Travis turned the shell fragment around in his hands before dropping it to the roof of Jones' apartment building. He then took out a phial of fresh blood from the turtle and poured it over the fragment. When it was empty, Travis closed the phial and placed it in his jacket pocket. He then proceeded to make it look like there had been a fierce battle, using the turtle's own weapons to make scratches and gouges in the cement of the roof. When he was finished, Travis dipped the blades of the weapons in the pool of blood to coat them and then tossed them randomly, not caring where they fell.

With his work done, Travis casually made his way back to his car. He had an hour before Hun arrived and he had to get the turtle prepped for the next phase. Travis climbed into the car and turned it on while pulling on his seat belt. Hopefully by the time he got back the turtle would be awake. Torture was no fun unless you heard someone scream.

* * *

By the time he was done, both Hun and Raphael were panting for breath. Hun grinned as he looked down at the beaten and bloody turtle. Raphael moaned in agony and tried to lift his head, but the effort just caused pain to shoot through his skull, so he just let it hang forward. Hun pulled off the brass knuckles and cracked his knuckles. His fists were also partially bloody from all the hitting.

Raphael fought against the inviting darkness that played at the corners of his vision; however, he was in far too much pain to pass out, if that were even possible. How long? How long had he been at the mercy of these sadists? Pushing the pain to the back of his mind, Raphael finally managed to lift his head and look up. He was light-headed and dizzy from the blood loss and every time he blinked or moved, lights would spark across his line of sight and then the darkness would creep in. Everything hurt; even breathing sent waves of pain shooting across his ribcage. He was fairly certain that a few ribs were cracked, if not broken. He knew for a fact his right arm and left knee were broken. Why didn't Hun just finish it? Why was he still alive?

"What...are you waitin' for?" Raphael rasped out. "Just...put me...out of my misery already."

The door opened and Travis walked in. "We have strict orders not to kill you...yet," he explained. "That privilege is reserved for our employer."

"The so-called Grim Reaper," Raphael grounded out.

Travis patted his cheek, causing Raphael to wince in pain. "You have been an excellent sport for all of this."

"Sadistic demon," Raphael grunted.

"Now, now," Travis said. "Be nice. It won't be much longer now and you'll be able to rest."

_'For eternity'_ was what he didn't have to add. Raphael knew that death was the only way he was making it out of this, and for some strange reason he was okay with that. His brothers would be safer if he was gone, anyway. He just wished he would have the chance to say goodbye. His brothers would never know what happened to him, only that he disappeared without a trace. They probably weren't even looking for him.

"Don't worry about your brothers," Travis said. At Raphael's horrified look he added, "Hun filled me in on everything. You're quite the hot-head from what he was telling me. I would have loved to see you when you were that mad."

"That's only reserved for the people who really piss me off," Raphael growled. "You're just annoying."

Travis hummed in thought. "Plus, it's difficult to be mad when you're screaming," he said, grabbing a hold of Raphael's broken right arm and twisting it.

Raphael roared in pain as his body seized up. Travis laughed and let go of Raphael's arm. The turtle gasped in agony and growled.

"Am I pissing you off, yet?" Travis asked mockingly.

Raphael glared up at him. "You're getting there," he snarled.

"Good," Travis said. "But let's see if I can _really_ piss you off."

* * *

Casey woke up to the sound of something knocking against his living room window. Groaning, he pushed himself up and climbed out bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he made his way out into the living room and blinked in surprise when he saw Leonardo and Donatello outside. Casey hurried over to the window and opened it, allowing his friends access into the apartment.

"What are you guys doin' here?" Casey asked.

"Where's Raph?" Donatello wanted to know.

Casey frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Raph?" Leonardo called, going through the apartment and checking everywhere his brother could be hiding.

"As much as I like seein' you guys, this is a bit of an invasion of privacy, don't ya think?" Casey asked sharply.

Leonardo headed into the bedroom as Donatello pulled out the tracker and showed it to Casey.

"The tracker says that Raph's here," the purple masked turtle quickly explained.

"But he's not," Casey insisted. "I haven't seen Raph in a couple of days now."

Leonardo came out of the bedroom, looking panicked. "When was the last time you saw him?" he asked.

Casey thought for a moment. "Three nights ago; we were bustin' some Purple Dragons. He seemed a bit...berserk. Nearly beat one punk to death with his bare hands." He looked from Donatello to Leonardo. "Why? What's this about? Is Raph in some kind of trouble?"

"We don't know," Donatello replied uncertainly. "Leo keeps thinking he is, but the tracker says that Raph's here."

"Maybe the signal isn't coming from inside," Leonardo suggested.

"The roof!" Donatello exclaimed.

The brothers hurried out of the window and climbed up to the roof. When they got up to the roof, the brothers found the remnants of a fierce battle. The cement bore deep scratches and gouges as if someone had been trying to get away from something or someone. Leonardo's eyes fell on two familiar red hilted sais and he ran towards them, dropping to his knees and picking up Raphael's weapons tenderly. Leonardo knew the only way Raphael would leave his sais was if they were pried out of his cold, dead hands. Donatello hurried over and his heart sank when he saw the dried blood on the blades.

"Please tell me that's someone else's blood," Donatello said.

"I hope so," Leonardo replied. He looked up at his brother. "What's the tracker saying?" he asked.

Donatello glanced down at the tracker then turned around until he was facing the direction the signal from the tracking chip was coming from. "Over there," he said, pointing in the general direction the signal was coming from.

The brothers hurried over to where the signal was coming from. A strange object was lying in a pool of congealed blood. Donatello took a brief look at the object, and knew exactly what it was. He raced over to the side of the building and bent over; emptying the contents of his stomach into the ally below. Leonardo knelt down and carefully flipped the the small object over. A tracking chip was stuck to the underside. Leonardo put a hand over his mouth to keep from losing his own stomach contents. He listened to Donatello's dry heaving behind him. Leonardo looked over his shoulder to see Donatello still bent over, his hand placed against the walled ledge of the roof for support. The blue masked leader turned back to the object. There was only one possibility as to what it was; it was a piece of Raphael's shell.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. Glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Leonardo stared at the shell fragment with the tracking chip attached to it. Horror and guilt consumed him in an instant. His brother was missing and he had just sat idly by while Raphael endured torture. Donatello's heaving had stopped and the purple masked turtle tried to catch his breath. He looked up, panting for breath as he leaned against the wall.

"How much pain do you think Raph was in?" Leonardo asked quietly.

"Don't do that," Donatello told him hoarsely. "Don't torture yourself like that."

"I hope for his sake he didn't know what was going on," Leonardo continued morosely. "Why didn't we look for him sooner?"

"We thought he was safe," Donatello answered quietly.

Leonardo got to his feet and went over to his brother. "Go home," he said quietly.

Donatello looked up at him in shock. "What?"

"Go home," Leonardo repeated. "Look after Mikey. I'll look for Raph."

Donatello nodded. "Be careful," he said. "Don't push yourself too hard."

Leonardo placed a hand on his brother's shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to bring Raph home, Donnie. I won't stop until I have him in my arms."

"Where are you even going to start looking?" Donatello asked. "How do you search an entire city?"

"As Raph once said, one block at a time," Leonardo replied. "I'll find him. I promise. Take care of Mikey, but don't let on that Raph's missing and hurt. He doesn't need to be worried sick."

Donatello nodded again and Leonardo patted his shoulder. The leader headed for the fire escape as Donatello went over and picked up the shell fragment. Not wanting to leave Michelangelo alone any longer then he had to, Donatello took off towards the lair as fast as his legs could carry him. He hoped and prayed that Raphael was still alive. Donatello was sure that if anything happened to his hot-headed brother he would never forgive himself.

* * *

"Raphael…Raphael," came a hauntingly, familiar voice.

Raphael moaned as he slowly woke up. He couldn't remember passing out, but he felt extremely light-headed and dizzy. He looked up and his eyes blinked open. A man stood a few feet in front of him. His brown hair was neatly combed and framed around his pale face. His brown eyes gleamed in the dim light of the chamber. He wore a thick turtle neck sweater, snow pants and snow boots. Even in a daze Raphael knew who the man was.

"Alfredson," he rasped out in disbelief.

The former serial killer smiled oily. "So glad you still remember me," Alfredson said.

"What are you doing here?! You're dead!" Raphael said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Alfredson walked over to the turtle and grinned. "You know better than that, Red. As long as I'm up here..." He tapped Raphael's forehead hard with one finger. "I'll never be truly dead."

Raphael groaned and his head tipped forward. What had Travis given him? He was drugged and hallucinating, that much was certain; another one of Travis' many torture techniques. First it was the physical torture, now it was psychological torture.

"What do you want?" Raphael asked. He shook his head. _Can't believe I'm talkin' to a freaking hallucination._

"Red, I'm hurt," Alfredson said in a mocked hurt tone. "After everything we've been through together, you think I'm some mere figment of your imagination?"

Raphael shifted when he realized Alfredson had guessed the thought that had rolled through his head, but winced as sharp pain tore through his body. "Yes," he stated simply. "You're dead… I killed you. Travis obviously gave me a hallucinogenic drug and now my mind thinks that you're in the room with me."

"And yet you're still talking to me," Alfredson pointed out.

"I've got nothing better to do," Raphael grumbled. "Might as well entertain your friend and make him think I've gone crazy."

Alfredson smiled, "You went crazy the night you put your sai through my chest."

Raphael swallowed hard at the memory of having someone else's blood spill onto his hands. "Low blow," he hissed.

"What of Leonardo and Michelangelo?" Alfredson asked.

"What about them?" Raphael shot back.

"Don't play dumb with me, Red," Alfredson said. "I'm a figment of your imagination. What you know, I already know. And I know that you stabbed Leonardo and sliced Michelangelo's throat." He shook his head. "I told you this would happen. You coldly spilled your own brother's blood. So tell me, how did it make you feel? Did you relish the look of betrayal and fear that passed through Michelangelo's eyes before they slid shut?"

Raphael clenched his hands into fists. "Shut up," he snarled.

"There must have been something," Alfredson said. "Confusion… Fear…" At Raphael's glare he added, "No? Well, then, how about pleasure?"

Raphael jerked against the clasps around his wrists, ignoring the stabbing pain that pulsed through his broken arm. Alfredson laughed and took a step back.

"Looks like I hit a nerve," the serial killer noted. "Maybe I'll tell my friend how to find your beloved former brothers. You know you can never go back to them. You killed Michelangelo brutally in front of Leonardo and Donatello; they see you for what you really are…a blood thirsty monster, just like me. If Leonardo succumbs to his injuries, your brother Donatello won't be coming to rescue you, but to avenge their deaths. Maybe he'll take part in your torture after he learns who is holding you," Alfredson mused thoughtful.

"Shut up! If you weren't already dead I'd kill you before you even got the chance," Raphael growled.

Alfredson gave him a dark smirk. "Who are you talking to?" he asked. "Me?"

To Raphael's horror Alfredson morphed into Leonardo, his mangled shoulder bearing the marks of a sai attack. "Or me?" his older brother gurgled through blood stain teeth as he changed into Michelangelo, a ragged, gaping gash appearing across his throat as fresh blood cascaded down his neck in a grisly waterfall.

Raphael closed his eyes and looked away. "You're not real," he said defiantly shaking his head in denial.

"Oh, but I'm very real, Raphie-boy," Michelangelo rasped. "And I have you to thank for my new look."

"I didn't mean to, it was an accident," Raphael moaned wretchedly.

Michelangelo sneered. "Doesn't matter if you meant it or not, you still did it," he accused.

Raphael never saw it coming. His head snapped to the side from the force of the blow Michelangelo delivered to his jaw. He didn't know which hurt more, the punch or the fact that he just got hit by his dead baby brother. Michelangelo glared at Raphael with loathing and hatred burning in his blue eyes.

"All I was trying to do was calm you down, and stop you from hurting Leo any further…" the youngest spat angrily. "What's wrong with you? Are you so messed up in the head that you would try to kill your own brothers? Hell, you_ did _kill one of your brothers!"

"I wasn't trying anything! I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt!" Raphael defended himself.

Michelangelo punched him again hard. "You stabbed Leo and sliced my throat. What do you call that?"

"It wasn't deliberate," Raphael told him. "You scared me. It was an accident."

Again, Michelangelo struck him. "You killed me! Your baby brother, the brother you swore to protect with your life! What kind of sick monster are you?"

Raphael cringed at the word "monster". He didn't have a defense for that. There was no excuse for what he had done. He should have stayed to make sure Leonardo was taken care of. He knew in his heart that it was already too late to save Michelangelo. He had put the lives of two strangers before his own brothers. Blood was supposed to be thicker than water.

"I'm sorry," Raphael whimpered miserably. "I'm so sorry."

"'Sorry' doesn't take the pain away," Michelangelo said, slamming his fist into Raphael's stomach. "'Sorry' doesn't change the fact that you ran away and left Leo for dead," Michelangelo added.

Again he slammed his fist into Raphael's jaw. Raphael struggled to look up at his brother. The look in Michelangelo's eyes made the red masked turtle want to curl up inside his shell and never come out again.

"Sorry doesn't give back the life you stole from me! I hope you burn in Hell for what you did," Michelangelo snarled vehemently. He shook his head. "No, Hell's too good for you. You took something valuable from me and Leo, so I'm gonna take something valuable from you."

"What are you talking about?" Raphael asked hoarsely as his brother stepped closer to him.

"You left Leo to die, and despite Donnie's best efforts…we both didn't survive the night," Michelangelo explained sadly. "But, like I said before, death is too good for you. So I'm gonna give you a fate worse than death." Michelangelo took a hold of Raphael's head and twisted his neck until there was a soft pop. "Enjoy your life as a quadriplegic, Raphie," the youngest said maliciously with an evil sneer. "You're never going to move again."

Raphael tried to move his arms, but nothing happened. He couldn't move! He couldn't feel any part of his body except his head. Tears burned their way down his face as he closed his eyes in the grief for what he had done to his brothers. Unaware to Raphael, his body began to tremble through his anguish. The door opened, which was followed by the sound of footsteps padding across the hard floor. The footsteps stopped in front of him, but still Raphael never looked up. He didn't need to look up to know who it was.

"I can make it all go away," Travis said in a smooth voice.

"Make it stop," Raphael whimpered. "I'll do anything. Just...please...make it stop."

Travis smiled. He had done it. He had broken the unbreakable. "There's just one thing you have to do."

Raphael looked up, tears still streaming down his face. "What is it?" he asked.

Travis leaned forward so that his mouth was beside Raphael's ear. "Die," he whispered hauntingly before darkness claimed Raphael's senses.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	8. Chapter 8

** A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. I'd be completely lost without you two. And thanks to my wonderful readers and reviewers who inspire me to keep writing. Thanks to all of you.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Leonardo jerked awake when he heard the loud honking of a car horn. He yawned and stretched as he tried to figure out where he was. He looked around and slowly figured out that he was somewhere near Fifth Avenue. Leonardo took out his shell cell and checked the time. He had been searching all night and had just collapsed with exhaustion after he had found a warm safe spot to crash for the day. He had been asleep for a good ten hours; ten hours that Raphael probably didn't have. Leonardo got to his feet and slipped the shell cell into his belt as he started to search for his missing brother again.

He had no idea where Raphael could be, or even who had him. The Purple Dragons and Foot turned out to be dead end leads the night before. Not that they would ever tell a turtle where one of their own was anyway. Leonardo got the sickening suspicion that the Purple Dragons knew about Raphael's disappearance and they got off on the fact that one of their most hated enemies was in the clutches of someone who wished to do the freak harm. Leonardo looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes against the sun's blinding light. Raphael had been missing for two and half days. The blue masked leader didn't want to think about the chances of finding his brother dead as opposed to alive. He had promised Donatello he would bring Raphael back, and he was going to bring him back one way or…another.

Leonardo stretched again and winced as his shoulder wound pulled in protest. He placed a hand over his bandaged shoulder and sighed. Just then, his shell cell started to ring. Leonardo took it out, opened it and placed it his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Find anything?" Donatello asked anxiously.

Leonardo rubbed his tired eyes. "You would be the first to know if I did," he replied. "It's a big city, Donnie, Raph could be anywhere."

"Raph's been missing for almost three days," Donatello said softly. "The chances of finding him alive dwindle with each passing minute."

"Stop right there," Leonardo chastised sharply. "I know you're just spouting off statistics and being a scientist, but I need you stay positive. Raph's strong, he can take a beating."

Donatello lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Yes, but not torture," he whispered gravely. "Raph's spirit is strong, yes, I don't deny that. He's always been the strongest out of the four of us; but even the strongest of spirits break after so much torture. You saw the shell fragment. The tracking chip could have easily been removed, but someone deliberately sawed it off and the only explanation is to cause Raph pain." Donatello ran a hand over his face. "Raph's in the hands of sadists, Leo. They'll stop at nothing to make him break or kill him once they get bored."

"I'm going to find him, Donatello," Leonardo said strongly. "And he's going to be alive when I do."

"You can't promise that," Donatello told him wretchedly. "I want to believe that he's still alive as much as you do, but we have to be realistic."

Leonardo put a hand over his eyes and took a deep, calming breath, rudely hanging up on Donatello. He wasn't going to give up on his brother. He was going to find Raphael, and he was going to find him alive.

* * *

Donatello walked into the infirmary and sighed when he saw Michelangelo fast asleep in one of the beds. How was he supposed to keep Raphael's disappearance a secret? Donatello had never been able to keep a secret from his baby brother, mostly because Michelangelo was just as good at figuring out a lie as Splinter. The purple masked turtle made his way over to his brother's bed and looked down at Michelangelo's sleeping form. After seeing that Michelangelo was still sleeping he checked the IV and blood drip his baby brother was still hooked up to. He wanted to tell his brother that Raphael was missing, but Leonardo had told him not to. Michelangelo didn't need to be burdened with that knowledge; so Donatello hoped that he would be able to keep his mouth shut.

As if sensing his brother's presence, Michelangelo began to wake up. His eyes slowly blinked open and he looked up into Donatello's sorrowful brown eyes. Michelangelo frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice no more than a wheezy whisper.

"Nothing, just checking the drip bags," Donatello replied softly. "You shouldn't be talking. Your throat needs to heal."

"Where's Leo and Raph?" Michelangelo rasped, ignoring his brother's instruction to stop talking.

Donatello swallowed thickly. "Topside, talking," he answered, half lying.

"Is Raph okay?" Michelangelo asked. "I haven't seen him in a couple of days."

"Raph's over at Casey's," Donatello replied. "He just needs some time to himself."

Michelangelo's frown deepened and Donatello feared he would get caught in his lie. However, the pain medication must have made Michelangelo more woozy than Donatello thought because he never pressed the matter further. Donatello placed a hand on his brother's chest and gave it a gentle pat.

"Leo's going to bring Raph home, Mike," he said. "Everything's going to be okay. Just get some rest."

Michelangelo nodded as his eyes drifted closed again. "That's good," he whispered sleepily. "Wake me up when they get home."

Donatello forced himself to smile, but it never reached his eyes. "Okay, Mikey."

* * *

Leonardo roamed around a silent and empty Inwood Hill Park. He didn't know what had caused him to come here, but this seemed like the only other place Raphael would go, especially now with tomorrow being the two year anniversary. Leonardo walked up to the pond's edge and looked down into the shimmering water. A cold chill ran through his body and he shivered. He knew at the bottom of the pond the glass coffin still sat as a reminder of a nightmare that he and his brothers were still trying to wake up from.

Leonardo looked around for any sign that Raphael had been in the park. His eyes fell upon a hole on the other side of the pond. Heart racing, Leonardo made a mad dash for the hole.

"Raph?" he called out softly.

Leonardo stopped at the edge of the hole and looked down. A large wooden box sat at the bottom. Leonardo looked around in confusion. If there was a large hole dug in the middle of the park, why wasn't there anyone investigating? Or maybe the investigation was already over and no one had gotten around to fixing the hole yet. Leonardo walked around the hole and found imprints in the muddy snow on the other side. Thankfully it hadn't snowed in the last couple of days and the temperature was just right to keep everything from melting. Leonardo knelt down to examine the imprints. He frowned slightly when he noticed two toed footprints near the edge of the hole and indentations where someone must have laid down. One indentation had a distinct pattern, and upon closer inspection it looked like the pattern of a shell; a turtle shell.

Leonardo's eyes drifted further up and he saw more footprints leading away from the hole, along with what looked to be drag marks. Leonardo got to his feet and followed the marks until they suddenly stopped. Leonardo had seen enough crime and spy movies to know that when footprints or drag marks abruptly ended that meant that a vehicle was involved. That, and there were tire tracks in the snow where the footprints ended. Leonardo ran a hand over his face and he numbly walked back to the hole. His eyes searched the snow for anything that would give him a clue as to who had taken Raphael. He bent down and reached into the snow near where the drag marks started and pulled out an empty syringe.

"Raph, what were you even doing out here?" Leonardo whispered.

He thought back on the night Raphael had snapped. They had found him in Battery Park crawling out of a hole. Leonardo thought further back on the night's events. He remembered watching the news with Donatello and hearing the report on the two girls that had gone missing from their homes earlier that night. Leonardo looked at the syringe again. Was it possible that Raphael had been looking for the girls when they found him the first time? Leonardo glanced down into the box. It bore deep scratches that looked to have been made by human fingernails.

"They were buried alive, weren't they, Raph?" Leonardo said. He put a hand over his mouth. "You were trying to save them from a copycat Reaper. But what happened? You clearly saved them, so..." He trailed off as he continued to stare at the syringe. Realization dawned on him. Leonardo's eyes slowly widened. "It was an ambush."

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: Thanks to Amonraphoenix and Darkunderworld for beta-ing for me. And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Donatello once again found himself sitting in front of Alfredson's old computer. He had been searching the hard drive for any information Alfredson had stored that could lead him to Raphael's location. Donatello had discovered a hidden cache of some old e-mails that were encrypted. After breaking the encryption he had found several messages sent to a guy named Aaron Travis. The turtle shifted in his chair and clicked on one of the first messages, wondering who this Aaron Travis guy was. The message didn't contain much information; just a friendly invitation to meet and have a chat about his artwork. According to the message, Travis was some kind of extreme artist. Donatello went through a few more messages before things started to take on a different and darker tone. The more Alfredson and Travis chatted, the more twisted the messages became. It was no longer about art, but about torture; or as Alfredson called it "The Art of Torture".

Donatello put a hand over his mouth as his eyes grew wide with horror. He couldn't believe what he was reading. Alfredson was training someone to become a another Grim Reaper. Just when he thought Alfredson couldn't get any more sickening. Donatello clicked on the last message, dread and fear making his stomach churn. It was Alfredson's final e-mail and it was dated to be automatically sent the night he died should he not return to disable the automated mailing setting.

Dear Travis,

If you are reading this, it means I am no longer among the living. Do not fret, for this is the reason I have been training you. Your time has come at last. You are finally ready to carry on my legacy and become the new Reaper. My killer is a mutant turtle who wears a red bandana and goes by the name of Raphael. I made sure he had no other choice but to kill me if he wanted to keep his brothers alive. But they will never be safe, not while you are around. Find him, Aaron. Find him and make sure he knows what happens when one crosses the Grim Reaper. Tell Ash that I love her and not to worry. My death will be avenged by your hands. Go now and finish what I have started. Good luck, my friend.

Derek Alfredson

Tears streamed down Donatello's face as he finished reading the grisly e-mail. It had been a trap all along. Raphael was never supposed to make it out of that fight unscathed. Alfredson had made sure that he was going to die by Raphael's hand and no other. Donatello put a hand over his eyes and tried to keep himself from breaking down. If Travis had been trained by Alfredson then Raphael was as good as dead. From the e-mails, Travis had become a cold-blooded, methodical torturer. He made sure his victim suffered severely until their dying breath. If Raphael had fallen into Travis's hands then it would be better off if they didn't find him alive.

Just then, Donatello's shell cell started to ring. He picked it up from the desk and opened it, placing it to his ear.

"Hello?" he answered softly.

"Did you find anything that would help us find Raph?" Leonardo asked anxiously.

Donatello wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah," he replied. "A guy by the name of Aaron Travis was Alfredson's apprentice. Alfredson trained Travis to take over for him after he died."

"You have an address?" Leonardo asked.

Donatello took another breath and slowly let it out. "Uh...yeah. The Bronx. 248th. House number ten."

"The Bronx?" Leonardo repeated. "We're in the middle of Manhattan."

"I'm just telling you what I found," Donatello snapped sharply.

Leonardo frowned. "What's wrong, Donnie?" he asked quietly, his voice laced with concern.

"Nothing," Donatello answered, a bit too quickly. "Call me when you find something."

Before Leonardo could say anything, Donatello ended the call and dropped the shell cell on the desk. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He stared at the e-mail and could only imagine what Travis was putting Raphael through. However, something bugged him. Who was Ash? It was the first time the name came up in the e-mails between Alfredson and Travis. Donatello began going through the files again, hoping to find something that would give this Ash person a face. He came across some pictures of Alfredson and a young woman in different parts of the city. The more pictures he looked at, the wider Donatello's eyes grew, until he came to one picture that was just of a young girl dressed in a Halloween Grim Reaper's costume and the caption on the bottom read, "Daddy's little girl."

"Oh shell," Donatello whispered in horror.

* * *

Leonardo stood in an alley across the street from the house Donatello had told him about. It was already nightfall and the knowledge that Raphael was still in the clutches of a sadistic torturer made his stomach churn with worry. Leonardo looked around to see if anyone was around before running across the street and heading to the backyard, staying close to the shadows. He turned the doorknob on the back door and was surprised to find it unlocked. He frowned in suspicion. No one left their doors unlocked in New York City; not unless it was a trap.

Slipping out one of his swords, Leonardo opened the door and made his way inside. It looked like the home of a normal, everyday human; a bit on the clean side to the point of being almost too clean and perfect. With his defenses on full alert, Leonardo searched the house. Again, it seemed as if the house was too picture-perfect. He made his way upstairs and searched the bedrooms. The search turned up nothing, until he found his way into another room that he assumed was Travis's. A computer sat on a desk on the far side of the room. Leonardo went over to the desk and turned the computer on. He huffed in irritation when he found that it was password protected. Taking out his shell cell, he speed dialed Donatello's number.

"Did you find anything?" his brother's voice asked after the second ring.

"I think I found Travis's computer," Leonardo said. "But it's password protected."

"Search for anything that might stand out as a possible password," Donatello instructed.

Sheathing his sword and placing the phone on the desk, Leonardo began going through the drawers to find anything that might have been used as a password. While going through the desk drawers, Leonardo came across a large and very thick, leather bound journal. He picked it up and began going through it. With each turn of the page, Leonardo got more and more sick. Each page was filled with detailed notes on different torture techniques and how to apply them. Leonardo turned to the final page and his breath hitched in anguish when he found a picture of Raphael strapped to a table, bloody and beaten. Leonardo couldn't tell if Raphael was still alive; so much blood covered him, his emerald skin was more crimson than green. The leader's eyes drifted down to the bottom of the page where a caption in bold red letters said, "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds~ J. Robert Oppenheimer".

"Leo?" Donatello's voice inquired softly on the other end of the line. "Did you find anything?"

Leonardo shook his head and snapped the book shut. Travis was messing with him; his brother was still alive. He would have felt something if he had died…wouldn't he? Dropping the journal onto the desk, Leonardo sat down in the chair and began going through different passwords he had found; none of them worked. Growling, Leonardo looked around the room. His eyes fell on a picture on the bedside table. He picked up the phone and placed it to his ear.

"Does Travis have a girlfriend?" he asked.

"Don't know," Donatello answered. "But, in one e-mail, Alfredson mentions someone by the name of Ash."

Leonardo leaned his shoulder against the back of the phone to keep it to his ear while he typed in the name Ash and pressed enter. The computer unlocked with a ding. With a heavy sigh, Leonardo began going through the files on the computer. Again, it contained more torture techniques and e-mails linking Travis to Alfredson. It was enough to make Leonardo sick. However, there were a couple of e-mails between Travis and Ash. They were mostly love letters, but the more Leonardo read, the more details about his brother's disappearance was revealed.

"You still there, Leo?" Donatello asked after several silent minutes.

Leonardo took a hold of the phone again. "Yeah, I'm here. Do you know who this Ash person is? I found a bunch of e-mails going back and forth between Travis and someone by the name of Ash."

Donatello closed out of the picture of the young woman. "No idea," he lied, pretending he had never found the picture or figured out who she was.

Leonardo huffed in agitation. "There's nothing here," he said. "All that's here is torture methods. There's no location for where he's holding Raph."

Donatello went through Alfredson's e-mails again, checking to see if there was something he had missed. He straightened up in the chair. "Alfredson owned some land outside of the city. He had something built out there, not sure what, though."

Leonardo nodded. "Okay. I'm coming back to get the Battle Shell," he said.

"Okay," Donatello replied softly.

The brothers hung up at the same time. Donatello re-read Alfredson's final e-mail to Travis again and his heart sank into his stomach. He had to break the news to Leonardo somehow. Raphael had been in Travis's hands for three days now; the chances of them finding Raphael alive was dwindling into the single digits. He just didn't know how he was going to tell his older brother.

* * *

When Leonardo walked into the lair an hour later to get the keys for the Battle Shell, he found Donatello sitting on the couch. Frowning slightly, Leonardo walked over to the couch to find Donatello staring at the shell fragment that was held gently in his hands. It was clean of the blood and the tracking chip had been removed. Leonardo knew that there was something on his brother's mind.

"What's wrong, Donnie?" the brother in blue asked quietly.

"Besides Raph being in the clutches of a cold-blooded and sadistic torturer?" Donatello asked numbly.

Leonardo's frown deepened. "What is it, Don?"

Donatello took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He began shaking his head. "I can't," he whispered sadly.

"You can't what?" Leonardo asked.

"I can't face Raph. Not after three days of torture," Donatello finally confessed miserably.

"What are you talking about?" Leonardo questioned in shock.

Donatello held up the shell fragment. "If he's still alive, will he be the same Raphael we knew him to be?" he asked softly.

"There's no 'if' about it, Don. We will find him alive," Leonardo insisted.

Donatello looked up at his brother. "He's been gone for three days, Leo," he said in a hushed voice. "The injuries that he sustained over that period by that psycho...if he somehow manages to survive, he'll probably be crippled for the rest of his life. Do we want that kind of life for him? That's torture in itself."

Leonardo swallowed hard, nervous about his next question. "What are you saying, Don?" he asked gently.

Tears began to fill Donatello's eyes and he had to look away. "Maybe it's best if we don't find Raph alive," he whispered wretchedly.

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


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